Insomiac Conversation
by MagpieDreamer
Summary: SPD: Z is trying to sleep. Syd doesn't care. Isn't it interesting what crops up in coversation at half past two in the morning? p


**Insomniac Conversation**

Summary: Isn't it interesting what crops up in conversation at half past midnight when you need to be awake early the next day?

AN: (Rating is for a few references, though I don't think the littler kids would get them anyway). A little, random Z and Syd fic, doing exactly as the title indicates. I wrote this at about two in the morning, just to get into the mood... ;) Anyway, this is my first fic (let alone my first power rangers fic) in an absolute _age_. (Exams and crap; go figure.)So I'm sorry if it'sa bit random and stuff. I'm still shaking off the rust.;)But, I'm back, and type-happy. I have to say I'm getting into SPD way more than I ever got into Dino Thunder. I sooo wouldn't have survived my Standard Grade exams without Power Rangers to zone-out in front of. So enjoy, anyway, and leave lots of lovely reviews, as I'm sure you, my darling reader, will do. ;P Have fun!

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"Z?"

"…what…?"

"Do you think Sky is cute?"

In the dark of the bedroom, long after they were both supposed to be asleep (Z already had been), Z sat bolt upright in bed and began to choke, "_What?_"

There was a long, gloomy pause. Z lay back down, shut her eyes, buried herself beneath her warm, welcoming duvet, and preyed that Syd's question had simply been one of the many random, empty questions that would get fired off into the dark at this time of night.

It wasn't.

"I mean, I was just wondering…"

"Oh, _God_…" Z rolled over and moaned, softly.

"… I just need an outside opinion, because, you know, it… it might just be me…"

Z crushed her pillow over her face, "we're supposed to be sleeping…"

"…do you see his eyes? They're blue… they crinkle up when he smiles…"

Z sat up, "Syd, it's half past midnight, we have to be up at six tomorrow to train; is this a half-assed, insomniac attempt to tell me you have a crush on Sky, or rambling? Because I'm really not in the mood to pussy-foot this stuff right now."

"Okay," rustling, as Syd pushed back the covers and sat up, "I need to talk."

"Fine," Z shoved the covers back too, "five minutes, short-hand it, no bull. Hit me."

This was something of a ritual. Late at night, as they were falling asleep, an issue would crop up; a guy, a situation, a fear, something that snagged at the mind. Sleep deprived and unable to see each other, they found it much easier to get the issue out of the way (by the time they woke up the next morning, they had mostly forgotten the conversation anyway).

"Sky's cute: true or false?" Syd demanded, bluntly.

"Point granted, motion carried, next case," Z waved a hand, though it was invisible to her companion, "with a side note to the affect that that giant stick up his ass leaves said point null and void."

"That's not fair!" Syd cried.

"Is too!"

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay! Side-track! We're getting side tracked, re-focus! What the hell were we talking about?"

"Sky."

"Right. What?"

"I like him."

"Ohhh…" Z rubbed her eyes. "This is a problem because…?"

"I don't know what to do about it," Syd sounded characteristically petulant.

"Do nothing," Z advised, "we haven't got time. I mean, do you want to be making out in a closetthe next timeGrumm attacks?"

"No…"

"Precisely. Are we done here?"

"No we are not! Come on, Z, help me!"

Z could almost hear the pink ranger pouting. She sighed and turned her pillow over, longing to be horizontal again. "Well, what the hell do you _want_ to do?"

"Sky."  
Z spluttered with laughter, "You did _not_ just say that!"

"You said no bull!" Syd didn't sound in the least ashamed of herself.

"Oh, God, I am so definitely a bad influence on you," Z hugged her duvet, delighted.

"Z, are you gonna help me or not?"

"Oh, jeez, Syd, what do you want me to say? Go for it? Get him drunk and lock yourselves in a cellar somewhere? 'Cause that's what it's gonna take, by the way."

"Hey!" Syd sounded genuinely hurt.

Z shook her head, "I wasn't talking about you, pinkie. Look at Sky; is he really the sort of person who you could see fraternising at a time like this? There's just no way he'd let it happen."

"I guess…" Syd's reluctant disappointment was tangible.

"Look," Z attempted to console her, "it's not that he wouldn't find you attractive… I mean, anything male with an ounce of straight blood in his veins goes slack jawed when you walk past… it's just that he clearly isn't that sort of guy."

"You really think so? The slack jawed thing? Guys really go slack jawed?"

Z rolled her eyes, "I'm gonna regret telling you that, aren't I?"

"Oh, for a couple of days, yeah. Anyway, you reckon I have any chance with Sky?"

"Eh," Z made a non-committal sound and shrugged, blankly, "I reckon Grumm's gonna put a pretty huge damper on the romance thing as long as he's around."

"Damn that all-conquering alien!"

"Tell me about it."

There was a long, long pause. Slowly, steadily, unwilling to jinx the silence, Z lowered herself back into her duvet, daring to hope that that might be it. Sleep was just abut to close inexorably over her head, when Syd started again.

"I caught Bridge reading your aura yesterday." She said it in a rush, the words stringing together to the point where Z's sleep-addled mind had to consciously try to pry them apart into something vaguely sensible.

"What?"

"Bridge," Syd spoke again, sounding more sure of herself, "I caught him reading your aura yesterday. But I promised him I wouldn't tell, so you did_ not_ hear it from me."

Z sighed, tugging the duvet up around her ears, "and you are telling me… Why?"

"Because I thought you ought to know, is all."

"Syd, I really don't care who's reading my aura."

"How can you say that?" Syd sounded genuinely shocked, "your aura is like your core being! People shouldn't just read them off without asking!"

"Bridge isn't people," Z pointed out, "he's just Bridge. And by 'aura' what he's doing is reading heat and energy traces. Useful for tracking but not much else. There's nothing personal about it. I don't even know why the hell he'd be interested."

"You don't?"  
Z paused, frowning. "Should I?"

Silence. Syd was probably nibbling her thumb nail, the way she did when she was thinking (she had almost certainly been a thumb-sucker as a kid). Then the sheets rustled, as the pink ranger shifted a little, probably lying down.

"Z, Bridge has an itty bitty crush on you."

"Ah." Z blinked. "Great."

"It's not that bad. I think he's kinda cute."

"I didn't say it was bad."

"You like him?"

"I don't know," Z sat up again, now thoroughly bemused, "I never even… are you sure? Did he tell you?"

"He didn't need to. It's kinda obvious. Haven't you noticed how he stares at you when hethinks you aren't looking?"

"See, Syd, I probably wasn't looking."

"Oh. Right."

Another long, thoughtful pause, then, "are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure, Z."

"Wow."

"Ah, you'll get used to it. Are we going to sleep now? 'Cause we do have to be up kinda early in the morning."

"Whatever."

"Oh, and, you know, just so we're clear…"

"Yeah?"

"This conversation? Never happened."

"Yeah. Yeah. I know."

Z turned over, and was soon fast asleep.


End file.
